5 Easy Ways Pet Owners Can Save Money
There are some affiliate links below, but they are all products I highly recommend. For more info, view my disclosure here.
Pets bring so much joy and happiness into our lives, but sometimes, that love comes at a cost! Fur babies can be pretty expensive at times. Between food, beds, and toys, it all adds up. Not to mention the cost of vet visits! We’ve got to save where we can. Read on for five easy ways to save money.
Money-Saving Tools
Save Money While Shopping Online With Ebates
If you haven’t heard of Ebates, let me clue you in! It’s a FREE service that saves you money on online purchases from a ton of stores. I’ve saved over $500 since I started using it, and it was all items I was going to buy anyway, so it’s like FREE MONEY!
The percentages vary by store, but range from 1-15% on average. There’s a simple Chrome extension for it, so all you have to do is hit the Ebates button to save money on things you were buying already.
Is Pet Insurance Right For Your Family?
Pet insurance can be a wonderful way to save money against unexpected medical costs. This involves a bit of research to determine which company offers the ideal policy for your pet.
You’ll want to look at coverage limits, how they determine pre-existing conditions, and whether vets near you accept the policy before making your decision.
We decided to go with Trupanion for our babies, and it’s been great so far! We had to make a claim after Rico cracked a tooth chewing, and the reimbursement process was quite easy!
Set Up Savings With Stash Invest
If you’ve done the math on how much pet insurance will cost each year and decided not to purchase pet insurance, I strongly encourage you to set up a bank account or some sort of savings to help with unexpected medical costs.
We use Stash Invest, which is a small investment app that’s been paying off well! We auto deposit $25 from each paycheck, and select investment portfolios to apply it to. There is a bit of risk to this, however, so some people may prefer to stick with a regular bank account.
We also have a separate bank account with a bit of extra savings in it to pull from in case of emergencies. We put our friend as the beneficiary, since she will take our babies if something happens to us, and that will help with initial expenses.
Make Your Dog’s Food
Dog food is probably one of our biggest expenses. On average, pet owners spent $235 on pet food in 2016.
One way to help with those costs while improving the health of your dog is to make their dog food. I use a simple recipe, and buy the ingredients (chicken, peas, carrots, etc.) in bulk, which cuts down on the cost drastically!
Plus, it feels good knowing exactly what my dogs are eating and that I’ve made it for them. Check out our recipe here!
Save On Recurring Expenses With Amazon Subscribe & Save
Sometimes, you just don’t have the time or energy to make dog food, and that’s totally okay! A great way to save on recurring costs is to use Amazon’s Subscribe & Save. It’s an easy way to ensure you don’t forget to pick up a bag at the store, and you can save up to 15% on your order each month.
You can even subscribe for things like pee pads, treats, Lysol wipes for cleaning messes, and more! I love it because it’s delivered around the same date each month and helps me remain stocked up on their necessities.
Plus, it saves me from lugging around a heavy bag of dog food when it’s freezing outside in the winter!
For even more awesome deals on Amazon Subscribe & Save, check out this money-saving post!
Shop the Subscribe & Save Store.
